Zombies!
by The Force
Summary: Two best friends are trapped in Willamette during the zombie outbreak. Struggling for survival, they head to the local mall. Please read and review.
1. Calm before the storm

_This is basically a fan fic dealing with what would happen if my best friend, Brian, and I were stuck in a zombie apocalypse. We know a lot about zombies (having seen all of the movies), and we talk about this sort of thing all the time. I decided to go with Dead Rising cause it has good old-fashioned zombies, and I think it's an easier setting to write in then say...Land of the dead. The mall isn't in the first chapter, but it will be in upcoming chapters. Enjoy, and please review._

_--_It was a warm summer day in the town of Willamette, the kind of day where children run around and play while parents drink beer and fire up the barbecue. The kind of day where dogs and their owners invade the streets while teenagers nearly knock them over with their skateboards. Two such teenagers were Nick and Brian, who had just returned from a video game store, carrying a plastic bag. "Hurry up Brian, I really want to play this"

"Can you slow down a bit? It's not that far off." Brian was a bit overweight, nothing extreme, just a little bit..."chubby", as some people at their school called him. He was tall and pale. He had short black hair and braces, and was never too lucky with girls. Nick was more fit, with an average build, a bit muscular, but not a jock. He was tanned and tall. He had long, messy brown hair that covered his ears but didn't go too much past his chin. He had intense grey-green eyes and a bit of stubble on his chin. They had both graduated from high school that year, and decided to celebrate by playing video games all summer. They arrived at a medium-sized, average-looking house and left their skateboards in the driveway. Nick took out his key and unlocked the side door; nobody really used the front door. An alarm beeped and Nick walked up to a small console in the wall, pushed in a code and the alarm stopped. Brian closed the door and said: "So where did you say your parents where again?" Nick walked up to the living room and dropped the bag onto a coffee table.

"They're at my sister's riding meet out of town. They took Tristan with them too." Tristan was Nick's little brother, a 9 year-old, hyperactive bundle of joy. Brian crashed on the sofa and said:

"Then we have the good TV to ourselves." Nick's parents would kill him if they knew he had wired up his Xbox 360 to the plasma TV. He took the video game out of the plastic bag and popped it into the disc tray. He sat next to Brian and picked up a controller. The words "Army of Two" appeared on screen.

A few hours later, Nick and Brian were still sitting in the living room and still playing the game. Empty soda cans and chip bags littered the table in front of them. Both boys were focused on the game, their fingers frantically running over the controller. Then, a lazy knock came from the front door. At first, they both ignored it, but the knock came again. Nick sighed and put the controller on the table. "Go on without me, I'll catch up." Brian chuckled and kept playing. Nick walked up to the door and unlocked it. He opened the door saying: "What is it?" Standing in front of him was a middle-aged man in a navy blue suit. The man was rotting in a couple of places and blood surrounded his mouth. He shambled towards Nick. "Holy shit!" He yelled as he scrambled back towards the living room. Nick instantly recognised the creature, being a huge fan of every movie that finishes with "Of the dead". Brian stood up, controller still in his hand, and said: "What's wrong?"

Nick yelled: "There's a zombie at the door!" Brian froze and turned to the front door. Sure enough, the zombie was still there, limping towards them. Nick started to head down the stairs and shouted to Brian: "I'll be right back, keep him busy!" Brian looked around, looking for a sort of weapon. He glanced at the controller in his hand. "Sorry." He mumbled as he threw it at the zombie, hitting him in the chest. He moved back a bit, a bit stunned, but not seriously harmed.

Nick ran through the basement. He opened a door, which lead to a small storage room and peered inside. There were multiple bottles of alcohol, a freezer, and sports equipment. Rummaging through the pile, he found two baseball bats, which seemed oddly convenient. Grabbing them, he hurried back upstairs to help his friend.

As Nick arrived in the living room, Brian was up against the wall, throwing random objects at the zombie. The corpse was advancing, and he was close to Brian. Nick shouted to his friend: "Catch!" as he tossed one of the bats to him and he charged the zombie. Nick, remembering the key words: "Removing the head or destroying the brain." swung at the corpse's head. Blood came gushing out as the zombie fell, staining Nick's green T-shirt and white shorts. Brian stared at the corpse and said: "I'm going to shut the door." Nick nodded as he dragged the body to the back door and dumped it outside. As Brian came back, he looked around the living room, where a big window covered most of the wall facing the street. "We need to do something about that window." He said when Nick was done with the body. He nodded, and started moving one of the sofas towards the window. Brian helped him push the three-seater, and, 

before long, the window was covered. "That's not going to be enough." said Nick, hands on his hips. Brian pointed to a smaller couch and said "Help me put it on top of the other one." Then, a makeshift barricade was made. Nick sat on the floor, turning the bat over in his hands and said: "I'm hungry, want something to eat?" Brian sat as well: "Sure". Nick walked to the kitchen and peered into the cupboard. He withdrew two boxes of Kraft Dinner and started boiling some water. After the KD was finished, he brought two bowls to the living room and handed one to Brian. They sat in the living room, eating, when Brian said: "Good thing these aren't Dawn of the dead zombies." Nick laughed and said: "Yeah, good thing."


	2. Change of plan

_Sorry I've taken so long to write this chapter, I'm in college and it's been really time-consuming. Hope you like the new chapter, and as always, read and review! Cheers._

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After the Kraft Dinner was finished, Nick grabbed Brian's bowl and dumped both in the sink, and took a quick look out the back door, which lead to the backyard, and offered a view of a few of the neighbours' backyards as well. Strangely, there were no zombies, or any living walking around. "There aren't many out there." He said as he moved to the living room.

"And that's a bad thing?" Brian answered, frowning slightly. Nick sat on the floor next to his friend "I don't know, I just expected to see, like, hordes of zombies hitting at our barricade." Brian scratched at his jaw.

"I guess. You do live in the suburbs though."

"Still...just goes to show how life is nothing like the movies." Then, some scratching came from the "barricade" and both guys looked over to the window, Nick raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe there's someone alive out there." Brian said. Nick stood up, walking over to the window. He moved the curtains aside somewhat, allowing him to peer outside. He rubbed his chin forcefully, and Brian stood up as well. "What is it?" He moved to the other side of the barricade, looking out the window. Right there, banging at the windows, stood dozens of zombies, all moaning loudly, each one trying to push the others away, attempting to reach the living inside. The window was broken in some places, and only the couches kept the creatures from getting inside. Brian felt his jaw drop slightly. Nick retreated from the window, rubbing his forehead. "That's gonna be a problem." Brian said, his eyes moving above the horde, trying to see to the houses beyond. A police siren echoed some distance off, and there were small fires in some of the homes. Screams could be heard from...well, everywhere, and gunshots were echoing as well. Then, his eyes shot back to the zombies.

"I'll say. We need to reinforce that barricade."

"I don't think that's going to cut it." Said Brian, shaking his head slowly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, if we stay in here, those things are going to get inside, and then we'll be dead...or worse."

Nick lifted a hand. "And where would we go? We can't go out there and just wander about! They'll hone in on us and eat us alive!" His voice shook a bit.

"I'm not sure." Admitted Brian with a shake of his head. "But it'd be better than staying in here, waiting..._expecting_ them to get in."

Nick lowered his hand and looked around the room. This was his home. He couldn't just abandon it! He'd lived here for most of his life. The wood underneath his feet was full of the memories of power slides during guitar hero sessions, of wrestling with his little brother, and of dropped food on Christmas Eve dinners. The walls carried the sounds of laughter, of sobs, of noisy video games and the whine of his guitars. No, he couldn't imagine abandoning this house. But he had even more trouble imagining himself dying in it, eaten alive. "So what's the plan?" He said softly as he looked back up.

"First, we need to equip ourselves properly." Said Brian, moving to the middle of the living room. "These baseball bats won't do if we're cornered. Where could we get something better?"

Nick rolled the bat around in his hands, and looked around the living room, before his gaze settled on the back door, and what lay beyond. "The tool shed!" He exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Brian raised an eyebrow. "I don't think a screwdriver would do much good against what's out there." He jabbed a thumb out the window.

Nick shook his head. "No, we've got a few shovels, and even maybe an axe!"

Brian nodded slowly. "Alright, next we'll need some transportation, how about the car?"

Nick rubbed his chin. "Yeah, parents took the Outlander, but we can always take the old MPV. Although don't you think it would be a bit noisy?"

"Maybe, but it's the fastest thing we've got."

"True." Nick conceded

"Now, maybe we should bring along some food, some flashlights, and even some walkie-talkies if you have any."

"We've got some canned ham we could bring along, and some corn. I think we've got a few flashlights in the cupboard, and my brother has a pair of walkie-talkies in his room."

"Good, let's get those first, then we'll go to the tool shed."

"I'll go downstairs and grab some bags, and we'll put our stuff inside."

"Alright."

Nick disappeared down the stairs, and Brian headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge door, he found a few bottles of water, and, as Nick had said, three cans of ham and a can of corn. Also there were some apples and a large chocolate bar. He took all of these and put them on the counter, then proceeded to raid the cupboards. There were a few granola bars, some more boxes of KD, cookies and cereal. He grabbed the granola bars, but left the rest inside. Then, Nick came back upstairs, with two nearly identical bags, although one was larger than the other. He dumped the smaller one on the floor and lay the other bag on the counter. "We should put the food in here, I'll grab the flashlights and the walkie-talkies." Brian nodded, and started putting food in the bag. Nick opened a cupboard in the living room, and removed two flashlights, some spare batteries, and the keys to the Mazda MPV. He returned to the kitchen and put these in the bag on the floor, except for the keys, which he stuffed in his pockets. "I'll go upstairs and grab the 'talkies. There should be some ice packs in the freezer." Nick said before heading back up the stairs. Brian opened the freezer, took out two ice packs and put them in the large bag. He zipped it up, and spared a glance to the front window. Their barricade was still holding up, but it was rocking back and forth, threatening to give way. He called out: "Hurry up, we'll need to move soon!" Hurried steps could be heard from the stairs, and Nick appeared with the walkie-talkies, putting them in the bag. "Why? What's wrong?" Brian pointed back to the window, and shock crossed Nick's face. "Alright then, I'm all set here. Are you?" Nick said as he zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Brian nodded and did the same. The two grabbed their baseball bats, and, suddenly, the crouches crashed onto the ground, and zombies started piling in. "Move!" Nick shouted, pointing at the back door. Brian rushed to it, and swung it open. Nick followed, batting away a zombie who'd gotten a little too close before closing the door behind him.

Now they were in the backyard, and had a mostly straight stretch to the tool shed, although a pair of zombies were standing in their way. "I thought you said there weren't any out here." Brian whispered to Nick.

"There weren't when I looked." He gave a look back to the back door. Zombies were crowded against it; the glass wouldn't hold for long. He tightened the grip on the baseball bat, bringing it up. "Let's go." He charged ahead, Brian following right behind him. Nick struck out to the right, hitting a zombie on the shoulder, knocking it back. Brian followed, hitting to his left, landing a blow on a corpse's head, killing it instantly. Nick reached the door first, and took the keys from his pocket. Luckily, the key for the tool shed was on the same ring as the car keys. He tried a key, but it was the wrong one. Brian looked over his shoulder. "Hurry." He blew out. "I'm trying." Replied Nick, nervously flipping keys and trying them. Brian glanced over his shoulder, startled by a corpse lunging at him for a bite. He brought up his bat, and the zombie's teeth clamped onto it, ramming Brian into the tool shed door. Nick's gaze drifted to his friend, and then right back to the keys as he struggled to find the right one. Brian stared deep into the corpse's eyes, blank and unblinking, before he planted a foot on its belly, forcing it back. He then reared back for a swing, unleashing it onto the zombie, sending brains splattering on the grass. "Got it!" Nick shouted as the door clicked and opened. The two rushed inside, and Nick pulled on a string, light shining. In front of them was what seemed like an arsenal. Some shovels were leaning against the far wall, while a wood axe was hanging on the wall next to it. A pair of shears was hanging there as well, next to a large nail gun, a few planks of wood, a rake and a pool scooper. Nick reached for the axe, while Brian grabbed a shovel. They turned almost in unison, and exited the shed.

The car was ahead of them, and there weren't any zombies in their path. But, just then, the glass of the back door shattered loudly, and the creatures it used to contain shambled out, and headed towards Brian and Nick. Upon reaching the car, Nick unlocked the side door, and plopped into the driver's seat. Brian sat next to him, slamming the door behind him. "Do you even have your license?" Brian said as he closed the door. Nick shook his head as he started the engine. "Does it matter?" Brian smirked. "I guess not." Nick had driven the car before, just not on the open roads. He gave a quick look behind him, to see zombies limping towards them. He pushed down on the pedal, and the car screeched out of the driveway.


End file.
